Brian Fagioli

Windows 7 and Windows 10 aren't terrible operating systems. In fact, they are both very good. With that said, the newest version of Windows 10 has many bugs. Unfortunately, since Windows 7 is no longer supported, its users are stuck in a conundrum. They have to decide whether to use an unsupported Windows 7 or upgrade to Windows 10 that is full of telemetry and other "spying" that passes their information to Microsoft's servers. That is a very difficult decision.

Thankfully, there is a better option -- just switch to Linux! Yes, modern Linux-based operating systems will be supported (unlike the now-obsolete Windows 7) and most will run great on aging hardware (unlike Windows 10). Linux Lite is one of the best Linux distributions for Windows-switchers, as it is lightweight, modern, and familiar.

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The solid state drive market is getting very exciting lately, with many manufacturers releasing PCIe 4.0-based drives. Just yesterday, we told you about a new model from ADATA. With a compatible motherboard/computer, you can achieve speeds that make SATA SSDs look downright pathetic.

Today, Samsung finally releases a PCIe 4.0 SSD for consumers. Called "980 PRO," it promises truly impressive speeds. Most importantly, it should be very reliable, as Samsung solid state drives have proven to last -- this is why many system builders swear by them (including me).

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Want to know a secret? Solid state drives can get hot. Very hot, actually. Super-fast M.2 drives in particular can generate quite a bit of heat, so sometimes, manufacturers will put heatsinks on them. Are these heat spreaders "snake oil" rather than something truly useful? Believe it ort not, no. Not only will a heatsink help the drive to last longer, but it can improve performance too. You see, when the drive gets hot, its read and write speeds can throttle down. By adding some metal to pull away some of the heat, your drive can perform better when under heavy load.

Today, ADATA launches its latest solid state drive, and it is a speed demon. Called "GAMMIX S70," this NVMe PCIe Gen4x4 M.2 2280 SSD is being released under the company's XPG brand, which is designed for gamers and enthusiasts. The drive is so insanely fast, that ADATA has put an absolutely massive heatsink on it. The company calls it "CoolArmor," and it claims the "terraced" design will allow it to provide superior cooling. While I don't doubt it will do a great job keeping heat at bay, I do worry that its huge heatsink may make it impossible to fit inside some computers -- it could end up impeding the installation of other components, such as a GPU. You can, of course, forget about putting it into any laptop.

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Laptop trackpads have gotten much better over the years, but let's be honest -- nothing beats a quality mouse. Whether you use a laptop running Windows, Linux, or macOS, a wireless mouse should be part of your life.

Logitech is one of the best makers of mice, and today, the company launches its newest pointing device. Called "MX Anywhere 3," this wireless compact mouse offers DPI options ranging from 200 to 4,000. It can connect over Bluetooth, but if you prefer, it also comes with one of Logitech's unifying USB receivers. It has two thumb buttons, which can be programmed to do pretty much anything, but I like them for forward and back in web browsers. Best of all, the scroll wheel has a dedicated button, allowing you to switch between ratcheted and smooth/fast scrolling.

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USB flash drives are "old hat" in 2020, right? Yes and no. True, they are no longer particularly interesting, but they are still quite necessary for some people. While cloud storage has largely made them irrelevant to the average consumer, there are still many cases where one is necessary. I like to use them for operating system installations, for instance -- I keep Windows and Linux install drives at the ready. Believe it or not, many businesses and education institutions still rely on USB flash drives too.

For whatever reason, I still have a big place in my heart for USB flash drives, so when a new  model is announced, I get interested. Transcend has released a new such drive, and while it looks fairly unremarkable, it is worth noticing for its impressive speed and build quality. Called "JetFlash 920," it uses the USB 3.2 Gen 1 interface, which is just a fancy way of saying USB 3.0. With that said, it can do up to 420MB/s read and 400MB/s write -- not bad at all. It also features an aluminum body for improved cooling and durability. Unfortunately, it does utilize a cap to protect the USB-A connector -- I prefer capless designs as there is no cap to lose. A cap is hardly the end of the world, however.

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If you don't have a Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) router, you are not living your life properly. Look, even if you don't have any Wi-Fi 6 devices yet, you can score such a router for as low as $79.99. Seriously, folks, its time to upgrade your aging wireless networking gear already.

For those of you hardcore gamers looking to upgrade to Wi-Fi 6, NETGEAR has a new router that is sure to tickle your fancy. The "Nighthawk Pro Gaming XR1000," as it is called, runs DumaOS 3.0 -- a gaming-optimized firmware and interface. Not only will you benefit from the power of 802.11ax, but DumaOS will allow you to tune things to best meet your online gaming needs.

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The GNOME 3 desktop environment was officially released in 2011, and in 2020 we are still on version 3.x. Yeah, despite many massive changes over the last (almost) decade, we have been stuck with point releases for GNOME 3. For instance, just yesterday, GNOME 3.38 was released. Historically, the stable releases all ended in even numbers, with pre-release versions ending odd. For fans of the DE, such as yours truly, we have simply learned to live with this odd versioning scheme.

Well, folks, with the next version of GNOME, the developers have finally decided to move on from version 3.x. You are probably thinking the new version will be 4.0, but you'd be very wrong. Actually, following GNOME 3.38 will be GNOME 40. Wait, what? Yes, the developers are actually moving from 3.x to 40.x! They are even ditching the even/odd aspect, as the next major stable version to come after 40 will be 41. Minor stable updates will be given incremental point designations (.1, .2, .3, etc.). During development, there will just be alpha, beta, and release candidates -- nice and simple. Understandably, this is going to be confusing for some Linux users that are used to the old versioning scheme.

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All solid state drives are fast -- when compared to mechanical hard drives. With that said, not all SSDs are created equally. SATA based SSDs are the slowest amongst them, with PCIe-based drives being the fastest. Of course, there are different generations of PCIe that have gotten continually faster. Currently, consumers have access to some computers and motherboards with PCIe Gen 4.0.

For those of you with PCIe Gen 4.0 systems, there is a new solid state drive from ADATA that you should definitely check out. Called "GAMMIX S50 Lite," the PCIe Gen4 M.2 2280 SSD is being offered under the company's gamer/enthusiast "XPG" brand.

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Sony won the current generation of console wars, with PlayStation 4 far outselling Microsoft's Xbox One. And now, for the upcoming generation of gaming consoles, it looks like Sony will beat Microsoft once again -- in pricing at least. You see, today, we learned the PlayStation 5 starting price is $399 -- a shocking $100 less than Xbox Series X, which is $499. This is very significant, as parents doing Christmas shopping will be intrigued by the huge $100 savings.

True, Microsoft will also be selling a neutered console called Xbox Series S for $299, but that game system has lower specifications -- it cannot even do 4K gaming! By comparison, the $399 and $499 PlayStation 5 consoles are almost identical, with the only difference being the pricier model has a 4K Blu-ray disc drive. Both versions of Sony's console can handle 4K gaming. Clearly, Sony's approach will be much preferable to consumers.

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One of the best things about Linux-based desktop operating systems is having access to many wonderful desktop environments. While there are many great user interfaces available, only one can be the best. For many years now, GNOME has been the greatest DE, and that is still true today. What makes it so wonderful? Well, GNOME 3.x is ideal for productivity, allowing the user to focus on the task at hand. Not to mention, it is beautiful and simple -- it provides a no-nonsense computing experience. There's a reason both Ubuntu and Fedora use GNOME as their default environment.

Today, the best Linux desktop environment gets even better. You see, GNOME 3.38 "Orbis" is finally here, and it is chock-full of improvements. For instance, the default web browser, called "Web," now has improved privacy settings, including cross-site tracking. There is also a new app called "Tour" which introduces the user to GNOME features after installation. Retro gamers will be thrilled to learn that Nintendo 64 support has been added to the "Games" app. Orbis also provides support for varying refresh rates when using multiple monitors. Best of all, the developers have killed the "Frequent" and "All apps" views, replacing it with a single customizable grid with the ability to drag to reorder the icons.

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The Apple iPad has now been a part of our lives for 10 years -- can you believe it? The revolutionary tablet changed the world, making it much easier to surf the web and consume media from the comfort of your couch or bed -- you no longer had to boot up your PC for everything. Over time, the iPad became an excellent work machine too, thanks to accessories like keyboard cases and the excellent Apple Pencil. In 2020, the iPad can truly replace a laptop -- for some consumers at least.

Earlier today, Apple announced updates to its two non-Pro tablets -- the iPad and iPad Air. While the 10.2-inch 8th generation standard iPad only gets incremental spec bumps, the 4th gen Air gets an all-new design with a bigger screen.

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Earlier today, two new Apple Watch wearables were released, and understandably, some people are very excited for them. Me? I am not a big fan. Apple Watch has terrible battery life and the interface is clunky. Call me crazy, but I much prefer a smartwatch with longer battery life and a lower price tag.

What did excite me from today's Apple's Event isn't even hardware at all. The star of the show, in my humble opinion, is Apple One -- a bundle of subscription services that costs less than buying them individually. In other words, people already subscribing to Apple services have the potential to save a considerable amount of money every month.

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The Android smartphone market has long been rather stale, with many companies simply bumping up specifications rather than trying to innovate. Yeah, things like faster processors, better cameras, and 5G radios are great, but consumers are becoming indifferent to new phone launches due to a lack of innovation. It feels like evolution rather than revolution.

Thankfully, LG has retained its weird side, creating devices like the V60 ThinQ 5G, which pre-dates Microsoft's much-maligned Surface Duo. LG is willing to take risks, which is keeping Android fun and fresh. Today, the company unveils its latest innovative product -- the Wing 5G. This smartphone is like nothing you have ever seen. The main display flips out to unveil a second hidden display underneath. This creates a "letter T" form-factor, which should be great for multitasking.

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Manjaro is one of the most popular Linux-based operating systems these days, and it isn't hard to see why. It is based on the rock-solid Arch, but unlike that distro, Manjaro is very easy to install and use. In other words, it has all the benefits of Arch, but without the hassles and headaches. This makes it a great choice for both Linux experts and beginners.

Manjaro 20 "Lysia" was released back in April, and it was very well received by the Linux community. Today, the first point update, Manjaro 20.1 "Mikah," becomes available for download with a trio of desktop environment options -- Xfce (4.14), GNOME (3.36), and KDE Plasma (5.19). All three DEs are excellent, but Xfce is what the developers consider the "flagship." The Xfce variant comes with an all-new theme called "Matcha." All versions of Manjaro 20.1 come with Linux kernel 5.8, Pamac 9.5.9, and ZFS installation support.

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Back in April, we told you about the deepin 20 Beta. That Linux distribution is very special because of just how beautiful it is. No, the operating system is not only about appearance (it is excellent overall), but it shows that Linux can be just as pretty as macOS and Windows 10. Hell, it is arguably more attractive than Microsoft's and Apple's desktop operating systems.

And now, the stable version of deepin 20 is finally here! This version of the operating system is based on Debian 10.5 and is loaded with new features and bug fixes. For instance, it has enhanced biometric support, allowing you to use your fingerprint -- a fairly rare thing in the Linux world. The new installer should be easier than ever, and if you have an NVIDIA GPU, you can opt to install closed-source drivers. Best of all, the app manager is simplified further, improving the discovery and installation of apps.

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